ReviewInternational journal of molecular sciences2021
The Role of Maternal Immune Activation in the Pathogenesis of Autism: A Review of the Evidence, Proposed Mechanisms and Implications for Treatment.
Review in International journal of molecular sciences, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 92 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
92 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 154 citations in OpenAlex.
- Inflammatory cytokine alterations in autism spectrum disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.European child & adolescent psychiatry · 2026Pooled it
- Association between maternal asthma and ASD/ADHD in offspring: A meta-analysis based on observational studies.NPJ primary care respiratory medicine · 2025Pooled it
- Article
- Newborn IgG and IgM antibodies to maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection in pregnancy and child neurodevelopmental outcomes.Brain, behavior, and immunity · 2026Article
- Sex-specific outcomes following chorioamnionitis.Pediatric research · 2026Review
- Maternal and neonatal cytokine profiles in a twin cohort: evidence from an exploratory pilot study of perinatal immune dysregulation in autism.Pediatric research · 2026Article
- The Impact of Childhood Trauma on Neuropsychological Disorders and Its Intergenerational Transmission Mechanisms.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Maternal-infant immune signatures in infants at risk for SARS-CoV-2-associated neurodevelopmental disorders.Communications biology · 2026Article
- Prenatal Stress Induces Changes in Behavior, HPA Axis, Inflammation, and Oxidative Stress in Adult Rats Offspring.Neurochemical research · 2026Article
- Effects of combined prenatal exposure to air pollution and maternal stress on immune and dopaminergic gene expression in the gut-brain axis.Brain, behavior, & immunity - health · 2026Article
- Prenatal antioxidant treatment suppresses maternal immune activation induced increases in alcohol self-administration in a sex-specific manner.Psychopharmacology · 2026Article
- The Nodding syndrome cerebrospinal fluid proteome: a lens into neurodevelopmental failure consistent with environmentally triggeredFrontiers in molecular neuroscience · 2026Article
- Effects of artichoke extracts and probiotic on maternal immunological activation, valproic acid-induced oxidative stress, and gut leakiness in a rat model of autism.Open life sciences · 2026Article
- A comparative study of the impact of maternal immune activation and valproic acid on autism-like behavior in rats.Translational neuroscience · 2026Article
- Vagus nerve stimulation as an anti-inflammatory therapy for maternal immune activation-induced alterations in offspring microglia and neurodevelopment.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2026Review
- Branched Chain Amino Acid Metabolism in Developmental Brain Injury: Putative Mechanisms and Therapeutic Potential.Developmental neuroscience · 2026Review
- Prebiotic Treatment During Pregnancy Prevents Social Deficits Associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder-like Behavior Induced by Maternal Immune Activation.Microorganisms · 2025Article
- Association of maternal endometriosis with autism spectrum disorder in offspring: a retrospective cohort study.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2025Article
- Gestational hypothyroxinemia causes an inflammatory environment at maternal-fetal tissues and fetal brain with impaired hippocampal dendritic spine maturation in the offspring.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Genetic and environmental influences in autism: guiding the future of tailored early detection and intervention.The Journal of clinical investigation · 2025Article
32 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disease that is characterized by a deficit in social interactions and communication, as well as repetitive and restrictive behaviors. Increasing lines of evidence suggest an important role for immune dysregulation and/or inflammation in the development of ASD. Recently, a relationship between inflammation, oxidative stress, and mitochondrial dysfunction has been reported in the brain tissue of individuals with ASD. Some recent studies have also reported oxidative stress and mitochondrial abnormalities in animal models of maternal immune activation (MIA). This review is focused on the hypothesis that MIA induces microglial activation, oxidative stress, and mitochondrial dysfunction, a deleterious trio in the brain that can lead to neuroinflammation and neurodevelopmental pathologies in offspring. Infection during pregnancy activates the mother's immune system to release proinflammatory cytokines, such as IL-6, TNF-α, and others. Furthermore, these cytokines can directly cross the placenta and enter the fetal circulation, or activate resident immune cells, resulting in an increased production of proinflammatory cytokines, including IL-6. Proinflammatory cytokines that cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) may initiate a neuroinflammation cascade, starting with the activation of the microglia. Inflammatory processes induce oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction that, in turn, may exacerbate oxidative stress in a self-perpetuating vicious cycle that can lead to downstream abnormalities in brain development and behavior.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.